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Mongolia ex-communists claim majority

ULAN BATOR, Mongolia — The Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, a party of former Communists that pushed Mongolia into political turmoil when it withdrew from the governing coalition last week, declared Monday that it was confident of forming a new government after removing Tsakhia Elbegdorj as prime minister.

"We have a majority of seats in Parliament," said the party's permanent secretary, Yondon Otgonbayar. The assertion followed a weekend of tense negotiations triggered by the party's withdrawal from the incumbent coalition formed by Elbegdorj's Democratic Party.

Also on Monday, about 2,000 people rallied in the capital in new protests over official corruption. They demanded the resignation of President Nambaryn Enkhbayar and the dissolution of Parliament.

Those gathered in the vast central square of Ulan Bator at midday roared their approval as protest leaders called for the resignation of Enkhbayar, who they called "the father of corruption."

"Dawn has broken in Mongolia," a leaflet distributed by the rally organizers said. "We are getting poorer every day and corrupt officials are getting richer. Now is the time to take action."

The protest was organized by the Mongolian United Movement, an alliance of three civic movements that have been calling for political reform in this former Soviet satellite.

The country has been in turmoil since the People's Revolutionary Party, the largest political party, withdrew from the government, asserting that the Elbegdorj administration had failed to counter corruption and worsening poverty. Elbegdorj is a former pro-democracy activist.

But protesters accuse the People's Revolutionary Party, which led Mongolia under communism until 1990, of trying to seize power for itself. Enkhbayar is a party member.

Two days of angry demonstrations followed the collapse of the coalition government, with the opponents of the former Communists temporarily occupying the party headquarters Thursday. On Sunday, the party appealed for other parties to join it in forming a new government.

Protest leaders called for a peaceful demonstration Monday, but dozens of police officers stood guard around the nearby Government House, where the president, prime minister and Parliament have offices.

Wedged between Russia and China, the sparsely populated country of 2.8 million people has seen a steep economic decline since starting radical free-market reforms in the 1990s.

The now defunct coalition government was formed in 2004 after bitter legislative election squabbles in which the former communists and their rivals accused each other of vote fraud and other abuses.